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Monday, January 17, 2011

Recipe for Quick and Easy Spicy Broiled Shrimp

My Dad loved anything with shrimp, and this Spicy Broiled Shrimp was something I made for him many times.

(In memory of my wonderful father, I'm featuring some of his favorite recipes this week while I spend time with my family.) This Spicy Broiled Shrimp is something that will be a hit with anyone who likes shrimp. I'm cooking meals a few times every week for my shrimp-loving dad, so frozen raw shrimp is something I always have in my freezer. After they've thawed in the refrigerator, raw shrimp cook very quickly and they can easily be turned into a number of impressive dishes. After a few experiments, I came up with this ultra-easy recipe for spicy broiled shrimp that cooks in less than ten minutes and makes an impressive dinner, especially if you use little individual casseroles like I did so each person gets their own dish of spicy shrimp.

This recipe was inspired by memories of New Orleans Barbecued Shrimp, but I skipped the butter and made it with all olive oil. I tested this final version on my brother Mark and his wife Lisa, and they couldn't believe there was no butter. In New Orleans, it's traditional to serve the barbecued shrimp with a crusty baguette to dip in the juice, but a couple of slices of 100% whole wheat bread would be just as good. The only tricky part in this ultra simple recipe is to be very careful not to overcook the shrimp. Once the shrimp turn pink and feel slightly firm to the touch take them out from under the broiler, serve hot, and wait for your family and friends to swoon.

In the U.S. shrimp are sold by number per pound, and I used 31-40 count shrimp for this recipe, and decided 1/4 lb. was about a good sized serving (unless you're making it for my father, who devoured 1/2 pound by himself when I tested one of the earlier versions of this recipe on him.) Start this recipe by thawing the shrimp (preferably overnight in the refrigerator, but you can get away with thawing them in the bag in lukewarm water if needed), then let the shrimp drain in a colander.

It's important to arrange the shrimp in a single layer so they all cook at the same rate. I used these individual casserole dishes and was a little careful about making the shrimp tails all face the same way so it would look nice, but you can just spread them on a cookie sheet if you're cooking a larger amount.

The flavors that enhance the shrimp in this recipe are olive oil, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and a light sprinkling of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning. You can use any brand of Creole seasoning that you like, or make your own Creole Seasoning Blend. The Tony Chachere's Seasoning does have salt, so be sure not to add any extra salt if you're using that.

Here's how the individual dishes of shrimp looked once they were doused with the seasonings. Have the rest of your meal ready before you begin cooking the shrimp, then just pop them under the broiler for 7-8 minutes and dinner is on the table!

Quick and Easy Spicy Broiled Shrimp
(Makes 2 servings but can easily be adapted to serve a larger group; recipe inspired by many dinners of "Barbecued Shrimp" devoured during visits to New Orleans and Spicy Shrimp from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.)

Thaw shrimp overnight in the refrigerator (or thaw in the bag in lukewarm water if you forget to plan ahead.) I used 31-40 count shrimp, so if you're lucky enough to find larger shrimp, increase the cooking time a tiny bit.

When you're ready to cook, remove shrimp from the refrigerator and drain in a colander placed in the sink, then use a paper towel to pat shrimp dry if they still seem wet. Preheat broiler and put the rack so it's as close to the broiler as possible.

Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet (or in two individual casserole dishes if you want to get a bit fancier.) I sprayed the casserole dishes with non-stick spray but it's probably not essential.

Once shrimp are arranged in a single layer, add seasonings in this order:
~drizzle shrimp with olive oil
~squeeze lemon juice over the shrimp (I used a squeezer that catches the seeds)
~sprinkle Worchestershire sauce over the shrimp
~sprinkle Creole Seasoning over the shrimp
~season with salt and fresh ground black pepper (skip the salt if you use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning which has salt)

Put shrimp under the broiler and cook for 7-8 minutes, or just until the shrimp turn pink and feel barely firm to the touch. Don't overcook. If your shrimp are larger than 31-40 count they may take a minute or two longer to cook, but not much.

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55 comments:

I love shrimp. Thanks for the great recipe. Couple of comments. Though as weird as it seems cold water defrosts the fastest. Alton Brown did the explanation on TV. Takes about 5 minutes. If your worried about salt be careful about all bread. Ever try no salt bread it taste like cardboard. Oh well.

Rich, that's interesting. I've read not to use hot water, but I didn't know that cold is actually faster.

Bonnie, I wouldn't use this recipe for pre-cooked shrimp. What makes this taste good is the way the seasonings get cooked into the shrimp and the shrimp liquid flavors the juice that you dip your bread in. I do buy pre-cooked shrimp all the time though to make Shrimp and Macaroni Salad for my dad. That's a big favorite in my family.

Heather, that's really funny. Maybe my shrimp (that I buy at Costco) is from Thailand too. I bet you have some good Thai recipes for shrimp!

it is amazing what it does to the texture and taste, particularly when using frozen shrimp. Sometimes I leave in the fridge from morning to dinnertime, and still plunge them in the brine solution for 10-15 minutes as I prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Are you using peeled or unpeeled shrimp? Most of the frozen shrimp I buy comes with the shells on, but deveined. It's easy to remove the shells but leave the last tail section on. I'm a sucker for any shrimp dish, so you know I'm going to make this one.

What a pretty presentation! I agree with Rich about using cold water to defrost - it works like a charm. This would be such a great dish for a special occasion or when trying to get a quick dinner on the table.

This looks great; always looking for shrimp recipes since seeing that Alton episode! Long time lurker. Love your site; use your recipes. Lost 10 lbs on So Beach, then 30 more on HCG; South Beach is my new way of eating. marcia in colorado

This recipe looks tasty! I love how quick and easy it is to make a delicious meal when you're working with shrimp. It's one of my go-to proteins since it's comparably so much lower in calories than other meats.

Oh my, Kalyn, I made these last night and these shrimp are fantastic! I didn't have any Creole seasoning, and didn't have time to make a batch, so I just looked at the link you thoughtfully provided, pulled out all the ingredients, and sprinkled some of each over the shrimp in the pan. I have never broiled shrimp before but I think I will be doing so a lot in the future - using this wonderful recipe! Thank you, thank you.

Made this for dinner two nights ago; my younger brother and I stood over the stove and ate them off the cookie sheet... AMAZING!!! I used cajun seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, worchestershire sauce, and extra virgin olive oil. THANKS A MILLION!

this was fantastic. I am new to the SBD (day 4) and this was delish! My husband loved it too. we cut up some summer squash and added it to the shrimp on the baking sheet. Broiled all together. FANTASTIC

I love shrimp! So any kind of recipe that contains shrimp is a delicious treat for me. Aside from cooking it with butter most of the time, I usually do spicy broiled shrimp with similar cooking procedure like what you do. I love it so I won't stop cooking this kind of recipe.

Sorry this is such a random question, but I turn to you for all things South Beach. I decided to make split pea and lentil soup last night, there were 62Carb Grams but 75% daily fiber. I know that these are "good carbs" but do you think that is way too high for Phase 2 or 3?

Anonymous, I don't know the answer because I don't ever calculate carbs in that way. The book suggests limiting your intake of dried beans or legums to 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup serving size for phase one, so if the soup didn't have other ingredients besides those it probably should be eaten in very small servings.

I want to make this combining shrimp and scallops, but I am unsure of cooking time as I have never broiled scallops. I usually just cook them on the stove, by sight. Does anyone know if the shrimp would get overdone waiting for the scallops to finish? These scallops are very small sea scallops, more like large bay scallops, about a nickel to quarter size in diameter. Thanks.

Barbie, I can only guess but I think if the shrimp and scallops are about the same thickness they would cook in approximately the same time. I'd check the cooking time on the package, and also check on them while they're cooking and take out anything that seems to be getting overly done.

Just a quick comment about the use of shrimp from Thailand. I saw a documentary that stopped me from doing that ever again. The pollutants (including fecal) that are in much of the water is very alarming. I would steer clear of Thai shrimp.

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